


123457-(H)

by aaeiilnn, numberzero (aaeiilnn)



Series: Recount [11]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: BAMF Klaus Hargreeves, Gen, Ghost-sighting AND talking, Ghosts, Hargreeves Children Support Group, Headaches, Minor Sissy Cooper/Vanya Hargreeves, Slight Cursing, Sparrow Academy, Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug, post-s2, theyre escaping soon <3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:41:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26947633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aaeiilnn/pseuds/aaeiilnn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/aaeiilnn/pseuds/numberzero
Summary: "Klaus," Vanya's soft voice cuts in through his thoughts. "Don't beat yourself up too much about this."He only hums in response, not bothering to look up or open his eyes. For a while, all he can hear is his own breathing. It feels too fast, so he wills himself to slow down. It goes on like that for a while and Klaus thinks he actually fell asleep at some point but he lifts his head back up, opens his eyes, and bites back a scream.The ghost — the child — is standing right in front of him, waving a hand.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves & Everyone, Klaus Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Vanya Hargreeves, The Hargreeves Family, Vanya Hargreeves & Everyone, Vanya Hargreeves & Harlan Cooper
Series: Recount [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870099
Kudos: 97





	123457-(H)

**Author's Note:**

> ✓ If you read the tags then there was probably a spoiler there. Someone guessed it two shots ago yall are good.  
> ✓ The multichaptered (i keep saying multi but its like 2 or 3 chapters) one is coming soon tho im,,,, not ready for it 😐 ngl i feel like im overhyping it i dont think i can write it as well as i envision it but i will try !!  
> ✓ Also hey i tried going for completely present tense this time bc ive been so overly conscious about that nowadays ?? Tell me what you think or do you prefer past tense???

The tension is pretty high in the room.

No one's fighting or anything, but everyone is a tiny bit more sensitive with everything that's happening. It isn't the first time they've had this kind of mood. Everyone's head hurts, but it's probably from all the thinking. After being trapped in the same room with the same people for several weeks, there were moments were they just knew that everyone had to stay in their own corner and shut the _fuck_ up.

Most recently, it was the incident with Five and other-Five that brought them to feel that way, or rather what happened after. Five genuinely thought he could figure out a way to use the trick his counterpart showed him to get him and his siblings out. It just somehow slipped their minds for a second that they didn't have access to their powers at all. Rita coming in after that fight and openly putting them all in timeout again just reinforced that.

(The word 'openly' has to be said because they realized early on that during some of Rita's visits she just secretly redoes her power with only a faint, barely seen, unnoticeable violet glow flashing through their irises as an indication. She didn't even have to touch them like she did before. Five thinks it's because she already knows them, like the way it's easier for Five to jump to places he's been to compared to once he hasn't.)

At Five's declaration of possibly getting out, it was like there was hope again, but it was quickly squashed down and everyone was snappy for the rest of the day until Klaus, of all people, pointed it out and told them all that they needed to calm down and maybe have another one of the fun, infamous Hargreeves Children Support Group meetings. Five mumbled out a disheartened apology, which his siblings tackled him with hugs for. (He rolled his eyes, but he didn't pull away.)

Now though, it was Klaus' claim that he saw a ghost that's giving them hope. That irritating emotion that brings everyone to the edge of their wits because they think they have a chance again but, really, no one knows. If he had been able to think just a tiny bit more properly, Klaus would have thought twice about telling them because it was obvious things would come to this and that there's a huge room for disappointment (well, nothing new). But he didn't, so he just blurted it out and now he could feel his siblings' gaze on him when they think he doesn't know.

He's near one of the corners for maximum view — he could see the entire room and the hallway outside. If the ghost (they don't even know if they can trust him yet) somehow appears again, he'll see it. None of the others approach him, talk to him, or bother him, because he is staring into some point in space and he is genuinely trying. It's exhausting to keep doing it without knowing when or how he's going to get results.

 _How did his counterpart do this?_ He made it sound so, _so_ easy, and yet it has been weeks, and Klaus just wants to give up, but he can't do that to his brothers and sisters. This is one of the few times they're actually counting on him, and he's messed up some times, but he's going to make _this_ work.

He blinks at the door.

 _Nothing_.

He has to make it work.

He stares at the floor.

 _Nothing_.

Oh, this is getting _really_ irritating.

He glares at the ceiling.

Still _nothing_.

Klaus huffs in frustration, pressing his palms against his closed eyes before scratching his head, pulling at his hair which has grown way too long, then folding into himself and hiding his face in his arms. His head hurts.

"Klaus," Vanya's soft voice cuts in through his thoughts. "Don't beat yourself up too much about this."

He only hums in response, not bothering to look up or open his eyes. For a while, all he can hear is his own breathing. It feels too fast, so he wills himself to slow down. It goes on like that for a while and Klaus thinks he actually fell asleep at some point but he lifts his head back up, opens his eyes, and bites back a scream.

The ghost — the _child —_ is standing right in front of him, waving a hand.

His spluttering of incomprehensible words calls his siblings' attention to him. Klaus stands up in a rush and stumbles back, almost impaling himself on one of the spikes on the walls.

Five is suddenly in front of him. "Do you see him?" 

Klaus mercilessly pushes him with a hand on the other's face. "Not when you're blocking the way." He sets his eyes on the child again who watches him back with wide eyes.

What he saw the first time was right. The kid looks like he's around 14 or 15 years old, wearing a blazer of a different design that what he's seen Rita wear once in a while, but the same mark of a sparrow is definitely embroidered there. There's no sign of his cause of death the way some ghosts would have, which calms and stresses out Klaus at the same time. One one hand, the boy looks perfectly normal, but on the other, how did this young boy die then?

His mouth is moving, but there's no sound reaching Klaus' ears. "I can't hear you." He tells the boy (and it _still_ amazes Klaus how easily he can escape the ghosts with Rita's power but that is _not_ the goal here). "I'm sorry, I'll try to focus better. Or we could play charades?" He suggests, but the kid ignores him. "Oh, you're a bit of a rude one, are you?"

Allison nudges him from his side. "Maybe not annoy the ghost who might help us?"

"He looks weirdly familiar." Klaus wonders, ignoring his sister in favor of watching the boy curiously. "Why is that?"

The boy, who seems to hear and understand him well enough, perks up at his words and moves to stand beside Vanya, pointing excitedly at her and mouthing her name. Klaus' eyes following him to Vanya's spot was the only indication the others had, and Vanya just froze in her seat.

The boy mouths some words more and points at himself, and Klaus thinks he can hear faint sounds of the vowels. " _'_ _Our land'_?" He guesses based off the movement of his lips. "Are you saying _'our land'_?" Klaus looks at the area where the kid was pointing a second ago and assumes that he had been pointing more to the ground than he was pointing at Vanya. "Yes, alright. This is your land. What could you tell us about it?"

The slightly enthusiastic aura of the kid earlier from Klaus noticing him had disappeared and was replaced by a frustrated look. He's shaking his head and repeating the same words, seeming to enunciate each syllable properly, but Klaus' hearing is still faint.

"What is he saying?" Luther asks softly, as if he might disturb their very confusing conversation.

Klaus scratches his head. "He keeps saying this is their land. _Very_ territorial." He frowns. "But I think I've got that wrong because he just rolled his eyes pretty violently at me when I said that."

"What does it look like he's saying?" Five's tone is determined. He looks at the same spot Klaus is looking at like he can see the ghost too. (He can't, but it does make Klaus feel less crazy that he's the only one who can see him.)

"Our land."

Allison scrunches her nose in confusion. "Why would a teenage child be so concerned about his land?"

"And if he's really from the Sparrow Academy, then why would he ever be concerned about those stuff if Dad is around?" Diego adds. 

"He's also pointing at himself and the space by Vanya once in a while." Klaus shrugs helplessly. "I'm genuinely trying but my mind's stuck on the words _'our land'_. I guess we could keep waiting cause I do hear him really faintly."

"Our land, our land, our land," Allison mutters repeatedly as she paces back and forth. Klaus and Five stares at the spot where the kid is. (The former trying to focus, the latter trying to think.) Diego closes his eyes and lies back down in thought. Luther scratches his head and faces back to the door, keeping watch. 

Vanya was watching Allison pace and mutter before a strange idea came to mind so suddenly, and she turned to face Klaus. "What did you say the kid looked like? Can you describe him?"

"Brown hair, brown eyes, looks around your height or a bit more taller." Klaus lists down. "He seems to really like you. He's been staring at you since the moment you talked."

It can't be. Vanya thinks as she stares at the empty spot. It can't be. It's impossible. But it fits so far? 'Our land' is close, the familiarity Klaus can't place, and the fact that the kid had to be special for Reginald Hargreeves to take interest in.

"Harlan?" She whispers unsurely, the urge to start crying filling her up as she took a step forward.

Klaus watches the boy light up and try to move towards Vanya and hug her, but he passes through her and she just very subtly shivers like she doesn't realize she did it. The recognition clicks. "Oh my _god_ , it's the kid from the 60s."

"The one that The Handler tried to take?" Diego asks as they all gather. "How is he here?"

"Harlan, Harlan," Vanya mutters, tears starting to fall down her face, "I don't understand. What happened? How are you here?" She asks her question to virtually nothing but air, but Klaus tells them the boy is enthusiastically grinning and actively listening now that he's recognized.

"I don't think that's exactly the question we want to ask." Allison mumbles, unheard by Vanya, but Five exchanges a look with her. 

The kid is here, yes.

But the kid is also _dead_.

"He's not talking much, just…" Klaus trailes off, his tone turning somewhat sad. "He's trying to match where you're looking, so that it feels like you're looking right at him, I guess." And, _wow_ , doesn't that just break your heart?

"Okay, okay," Vanya breathes in, attempting to gather herself. "We will sit down, and, Klaus?"

"I'll try to translate." Klaus sits on the floor first, still watching the kid. "So far, he's becoming more easier to see and I think bits of sounds are coming through."

"He wasn't much of a talker back then, anyway." Vanya added before sitting down and expectantly looking at the air beside her. "Maybe he's much comfortable with signs or actions? Then you could just repeat that?"

"Ah, see?" Klaus looks pointedly at the boy. "I suggested charades earlier and you just ignored me."

"What are we asking?" Luther starts when they've all settled down on the floor.

"Where's Sissy?" The question was expected, but Allison moves closer and places a hand on Vanya's shoulder. "Harlan, where's your mother?"

Klaus watches as the kid's grin slowly disappears as he shakes his head and tells the others. "He's not shrugging, Vanya." He explains when she insists Harlan might just not know. "He's shaking his head and looking down. It's been almost sixty years since we were in the 60s."

Their sister visibly deflates and starts to fold in on herself until she seems to remember the crowd. "I see."

"Why is he here? In the Sparrow Academy?" Five asks after a moment of silence. 

Harlan looks up and only shrugs before staring at his hands as if hoping something would happen. "I think he was brought here to train." Klaus interprets carefully. "He looks like he's waiting for his powers."

"Can you tell us anything about this place?" Diego directed his question at the empty space, then looked at Klaus for an interpretation. "Maybe about the people? Or just an effective way to get us out?"

The boy tilts his head and says something.

"Sorry," Klaus moved closer, "I can almost hear you well enough. What did you say?"

_"—ta."_

"One more time."

 _"—a!"_ He jumps up and begins pacing around the room, Klaus' eyes following him, ears straining to hear him well. _"—it—! Ri—!"_

"Are you—" Klaus scrambles up to stand in front of the boy. "Are you saying ' _Rita_ '?"

 _"Rita!"_ Harlan nods. _"Rita, Rita, Rita."_

"I can hear him now." He updates the others. "He's saying Rita's name a lot."

Five's eyes snaps to Klaus at his words. The suspicion is practically radiating from him. "Rita? Zero? What is he saying? We can't trust her?"

Klaus pauses to look back at his brother incredulously. "You are reading too much from just him saying her name. You can't even see him!"

 _"Rita is good!"_ The boy shouts with a smile, effectively grabbing Klaus' attention again. _"Good! Like Vanya!"_ He moves around again until he's standing beside her, grinning up at her despite the fact that she can't see. But, luckily, Vanya can take cues from where Klaus is looking though, so she tries to follow where he's looking. (The fact that Harlan is actually here is still messing with her mind.)

"So, we can trust Rita?" Allison says after Klaus interpreted his words.

"How do we know we can trust the kid ghost?" Diego raises. Vanya glares at him for a second before turning back to the empty space beside her. 

"Ghosts don't really lie, unless it's for a reason." Klaus comments. "He seems to really like Vanya, though. I don't think he'd do anything that would hurt her." The boy seems to have heard his words and nods very seriously before turning back to Vanya.

"Harlan," Vanya's voice is soft as she addressed the kid again. "You think we can trust Rita?" And Klaus reports the boy nodding in response. "Then I'm sold. I'm trusting Rita now."

Klaus tilts his head. "I can't really say…much. I think I've been trusting her for a while now."

Diego looks back and forth between them, eyebrows furrowed. "We can't just be a-okay with all this because a kid tells us!" His arms are moving around, wildly gesturing.

"But I know Harlan." Vanya insists.

Luther meets her eye after a moment of silence, saying the words no one was telling her yet. "Harlan is a ghost now, Vanya. He's dead." Vanya looks away at his blunt words, but he continues. "We don't know what kind of things he went through or if he's still the same Harlan you know."

"Why don't we just ask the kid?" Five pointed out. 

Klaus tilted his head. "Ah, well—"

"Maybe if we figure out what happened, we could—"

"Alright, Harlan, how did you die?" Diego interrupts, ever a man of action. Klaus double takes and splutters at his question before lightly slapping Diego's arm.

"Hey, no," Klaus' voice is soft as he talked to the ghost they can't see. "It's fine, ignore them. You don't have to— And, he's gone." The change of tone is accompanied by him staring out the door.

Vanya turns to Klaus with wide eyes. "What do you mean he's gone?"

"I mean he's gone." He glares at his other siblings, with a bit more focus on Diego. "You asked him about his death, so he freaked out, rubbing his forehead a lot like he was in pain, and ran out the door."

Diego looks at them apologetically. "How was I supposed to know it would be a sensitive topic?"

Klaus hit him sharply at the back of his head. "The kid _died_! How is that not a sensitive topic?!" He sighs, looking around the room, as if hoping to see him again. "Ghosts 101 for Dummies Like You: not all ghosts have a hard time talking about their deaths. Some will actually keep talking about it endlessly. But you wanted answers, so you should have been more careful with what you say to them."

"Alright," Allison placed a hand on Klaus and Diego's shoulder. "Next time, we defer to you about ghosts. Is that good?"

Klaus rubs his face before sinking back to the ground. "At least I know I can see him now. If he comes back, I won't miss it."

"We have to make sure you don't get on timeout again." Luther crouches down to sit with him. "It might be harder for you."

"Hmm," Klaus agrees before leaning on his shoulder. "I can probably talk her out of it and say I've got a headache or something. It wouldn't be a lie, my head really does hurt a bit."

"Harlan said we could trust her." Vanya is still staring out the door. "Why don't we just tell her?"

"Because we don't know if Harlan can be trusted, Vanya." Five repeats, his tone sharp. "I know it's a bit hard to take in, but we need to make sure." His sister nods in acceptance before moving to lie down in the corner, curling into herself and facing the wall.

Five sighs and follows, sitting beside her and tapping her shoulder lightly. "I'm not going to apologize."

"I know."

"What I said made sense."

"I know."

"Are we good?"

"Yeah." Vanya turns to face him and the rest of her siblings who were subtly watching them. "It just… _hurts_. He was supposed to grow old and happy with Sissy and—" She cut herself off, roughly running her fingers through her hair before sitting up. "Klaus said he looked around 14 or 15. Harlan was 12 when we left them. Twelve."

(Allison watches her sister mourn the death of a kid she knew she cared for and loved. Suddenly, the fact that Claire doesn't even exist in this timeline strikes her again for the _millionth_ time since she's been trapped in this _godforsaken_ room.)

"I should have…" _Brought them with me?_ No, Vanya wouldn't have wanted them to be trapped with her here. "Done something." She ends, hopelessly.

"You couldn't." Diego points out. Aren't they all just so blunt today? "You couldn't bring them with you and you couldn't have stayed there."

"But we're gonna figure this out, okay?" Allison adds. "We can't bring him back, but at least we can try to know what happened and you can help him find peace." She looks over to Klaus. "That's a thing, right?"

"Mhm," Klaus mumbles drowsily from his position still using Luther as a pillow. "Like Ben. Don't worry, Vanya. I'll see him again."

**Author's Note:**

> ✓ Uwkdkasj another case of me not knowing how to end it so we just stop writing before it gets worse.  
> {✓ I know I mentioned a lot about how I write in the notes for this fic but, don't misunderstand, im fine !! this really is just a secret lil hobby i keep trying to improve but its really about me taking a break frm everything. i love writing a lot. tysm for reading these <3}


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